Heretofore when the slag from a high pressure gasification operation was to be disposed of, it was allowed to run into a quenching body of water or the like from which it was removed. The removal involved using a lockhopper to retain the pressure in the gasifier. The lockhopper would be opened at the top to permit gravity flow to cause the solidified slag to go into the hopper. The hopper would be closed at the bottom to maintain the gasifier pressure and after a transfer the lockhopper would be closed at the top so that the hopper could be drained from the bottom for removal of the solidified slag. The procedure necessitated the location of the lockhopper beneath the quenching chamber and consequently there was considerable vertical height required for the apparatus.
There is a U.S. patent to Noack No. 2,399,884 which discloses a furnace with arrangement for removing slag without using any liquid quenching medium such as water. It deals with forcing the hot gases containing slag to flow at high velocity through a heat exchanger in order that the slag may not adhere to the heat exchange surfaces due to the high velocity blast effects. It discloses a worm wheel and so called cell runner device for removing the solidified ash particles. There is no quench liquid or other quenching medium indicated in the patent.